


reignite

by nighimpossible



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Dream Sex, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 18:42:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20971247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nighimpossible/pseuds/nighimpossible
Summary: Galo buries his head in the crook of Lio’s neck and in his dream, Lio lets him. In his dream, Lio lets Galo do a lot of things. Things that Lio would blush at in the broad light of day. Things Lio didn’t even know he wanted.





	reignite

**Author's Note:**

> I've been in Promare Hell for about a week so—welcome, enjoy, come yell with me about them anytime. Thank you to Kate for the speedy beta!

Lio doesn’t dream the night after they save the world. His exhaustion has finally caught up to him. Nearly dying has caught up to him, Lio supposes. That night, Galo guides him into a bed—Lio isn’t sure who it belongs to—and he falls asleep almost the instant he closes his eyes. When he wakes up, Galo is gone and Lio is using Galo’s rescue brigade jacket as a blanket.

Lio doesn’t dream the night after they save the world, but he does dream every night after. They’re not exactly dreams he’s proud of, and they’re definitely not dreams Lio will ever admit to having.

These new dreams start out innocent enough. Lio closes his eyes and he’s riding the Promare dragon again, fueled by flames and fury. The dragon feels hot between his legs, broad and burning. It’s not an unpleasant feeling, though heat hasn’t bothered Lio in a long while. Lio extends his hands and tendrils of flame reach forward. Lio screams in agony and the dragon roars. This all happened once. This he knows well.

And then he’s falling out of the sky, ice crusting around every inch of him—an absolute zero bullet. He doesn’t have to look to know that the bullet left Foresight’s gun.

Lio doesn’t hit the ground. Instead, he’s caught.

“I have no choice,” Galo tells him, gently laying him on the ground. Lio looks at his own hands and sees how they are turning to ash.

_ You always have a choice_, Lio wants to say, but his lips won’t move. He’s dying again, but it should hurt more than this. In his dream, Lio is numb as his body decays in real time. What a luxury of remembrance. And then Galo is swallowing the Promare Lio gave him as protection and, in Lio’s opinion, it seems like a silly thing to do with a gift.

Galo kisses him, and the Promare he delivers in the process burns the whole way down. Lio’s vision goes white, and then there’s nothing but him and the fire—bright and burning and full of life. _ You rescued me_, Lio thinks to himself as his vision returns.

Lio’s not proud of where the dream turns, but if you ask him, it’s not his fault. It’s just a dream, after all. 

In his dream, once Lio gains his strength back, he’s still kissing Galo—but it’s not CPR anymore, it’s just Lio and Galo and Galo’s _ hands _ tracing down Lio’s back, broad and warm and intoxicating. Lio moves to straddle Galo, and he’s just as broad and warm as the Promare dragon.

Galo buries his head in the crook of Lio’s neck and in his dream, Lio lets him. In his dream, Lio lets Galo do a lot of things. Things that Lio would blush at in the broad light of day. Things Lio didn’t even know he wanted.

“You burn so bright,” dream Galo whispers to Lio. The Promare crackles around the two of them. In his dream, the Promare stays.

“Galo,” Lio murmurs in his dream.

“I’m right here,” Galo tells him.

“_Galo_,” Lio sighs against his cheek.

“Dude, I’m right here,” Galo repeats, confusion and amusement coloring his tone.

Lio wakes up.

“Were you dreaming about me?” a very not-dream-Galo asks, voice bright with excitement and mirth. He’s bending over Lio’s prone form. He’s too bright for this early in the morning.

“No,” Lio denies vehemently, curling into a ball to turn his back on Galo. He is undeniably hard, and there’s no way in hell he’s going to let Galo see him like this. Not outside his dreams, anyway. “Shut up and go away. Now.”

Ignis had let Lio and a few other former Burnish stay in the Burning Rescue Fire House, and while it had been a kindness at the time, Lio now understands that he really, truly needs an apartment that Galo can’t barge inside on a whim. Galo likes living in the Fire House, but Lio thinks Galo has never wanted privacy in his entire life.

“I think you were dreaming about me,” Galo grins down at him.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Lio says tightly.

“Which is fine, you know,” Galo adds awkwardly.

“I’m going to get dressed now, so _ please leave_,” Lio adds tightly. Embarrassingly, he has not gotten less hard since Galo walked in.

“You know, I’ve been having some weird dreams lately too!” Galo says as he closes the door behind him. “You were there.”

Weird dreams. Not quite what Lio would call it.

* * *

“Why are you looking at my hands?” Lio asks Galo abruptly. “It’s not like they’re going to ignite. The Promare is gone.”

The team is all together at dinner and Galo has been acting like he’s never seen hands before. Lucia bursts out laughing while Remi just looks over his coffee at Lio and Galo like he’s spotted a particularly annoying stain on his favorite sweater.

“It’s not that,” Galo says. “Plus, even if you still burned, you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Lio balks. “That’s a confident statement to make.”

“Lio wants to prove he’s still got teeth without his fire,” Lucia notes, picking at her own teeth with a wooden pick before diving back into her portable laptop. (Whenever Lio has asked her what she’s up to, she’s only replied with the word, “_Chaos_.” In other news, Lio is a little afraid of Lucia.)

“Lio could kill anyone at this table,” Gueria bites back. “Promare or not.”

Lio is grateful for the confidence, but truth be told, Lio isn’t sure how powerful he is now that the fire is gone.

The world is quiet now. It’s just something Lio will have to get used to.

“They were gone,” Galo says quietly. “Your hands were ash.”

Lio stiffens before glancing at Meis and Gueira. His seconds don’t know what happened in the aftermath. Gueria seems shocked at Galo’s statement, but Meis just nods at Lio. He knew. He must have known.

“Lio,” Gueria says quietly. “Is it true?”

“Enough, Gueria,” Meis mutters. “Leave the boss alone.”

“_Is it true?_” Gueria repeats, hand gripping the table.

“It’s true,” Galo tells him. “I saw it.”

“Galo,” Lio hisses. “Shut up.”

Gueria stands up and leaves the table. Lio doesn’t try to stop him. “Meis,” Lio says softly. Meis nods and stands up as well to go after Gueria. It’s a conversation Lio will have to have with the two of them—someday. It’s definitely not how Lio wanted that information to get leaked.

“Galo,” Aina sighs. “Some things aren’t yours to share.”

“Hey, you were the one who asked why I was staring!” Galo says defiantly, pointing at Lio.

Lio’s response is ice cold. “My mistake.”

“Did you save a pie for me?” Varys asks, joining the group at the table, completely unaware of the tense situation he’s stepping into. “Guys, _ c’mon _. You know I’m hungry.”

“Look,” Galo starts.

“I turned to ash and Galo brought me back,” Lio proclaims to the table. Aina’s expression is shocked, Lucia’s is intrigued. Remi looks nonplussed, and Varys is distracted, already half-way through Galo’s second pie. Ignis is simply quiet and contemplative. “Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Galo makes a disgruntled noise that Lio chooses to ignore.

“Some people are trying to have a nice dinner,” Remi muses between bites of pizza.

“You gonna eat that?” Varys asks Lio as he stands to leave the group as well. He needs to track down Meis and Gueira, he needs to explain why he didn’t tell them, why he _ couldn’t_—

“Lio, wait up!” 

But Lio will _ not _ wait for Galo. Not this time.

“Don’t come after me!” Lio shouts over his shoulder.

* * *

When Lio dreams of Galo that night, he gives Galo the punishment he deserves. 

Lio is in his Mad Burnish armor, mask off, legs spread wide on a fiery throne. He knows how he looks in this armor; there’s a reason he designed it to look like it does. Powerful, sleek, stylized. In Galo’s words, it’s a suit of armor that reflects Lio’s burning heart. 

“You know what you did, Galo.” Lio tilts his head down at Galo. “You know what you have to do now, don’t you?”

“Lio,” Galo murmurs. Lio has to admit to himself that Galo looks good like this: with hands tied behind his back, down on his knees, cheek pressed against Lio’s inner thigh. “Please.”

“You won’t betray my trust again,” Lio tells him sweetly. He threads a gloved hand into Galo’s mane of hair, tugs it back—hard. Galo whines in his dream, his eyes tearing up prettily.

“I won’t,” Galo swears.

Lio unzips the pants to his suit. “Fucking prove it, then.” 

Galo takes Lio’s cock into his mouth greedily, sloppily—like he’s ready to blow Lio until Lio says stop, knowing full well that Lio may never say stop. This is Lio’s sex dream, after all: what’s a few hours of dream head going to do, besides make looking at Galo a little more difficult in the morning?

Galo is a spitty mess in Lio’s hands, pliant and easy, mouth trailing wherever Lio leads him. He’s like an obedient puppy, eager to please. “Good boy,” Lio tells him generously, and Galo whines at the praise—a whine that turns into a whimper when Lio tugs his hair. “You’re a good boy for me.”

* * *

Lio doesn’t look Galo in the eyes the next morning. There seems to be a mutual cooling off period between them. Lio supposes Galo must still be confused about Lio’s anger from dinner.

“Galo,” Lio starts, finally turning to face Galo, who is busying himself with cleaning one of the mechas. Galo flushes immediately, which is—not the reaction Lio expected. “I want you to know that we’re okay.”

“Okay? Sure,” Galo says quickly, turning away from Lio. “Sounds good.”

Lio is confused, so he continues. “I was mad that you told my people I died. That was something I wanted to do on my own terms. But I didn’t tell you I wanted to keep it a secret.” Lio reaches out and pats Galo’s shoulder gently. In response, Galo shudders from head to toe in what Lio assumes is an exaggerated effect—but then again, everything about Galo is exaggerated.

“I didn’t realize it was a secret,” Galo murmurs. “I’m sorry I let it slip.”

Lio shrugs. “It just means I have to talk to Meis. Gueira and I hashed things out last night, but Meis… has always been more complicated.”

“People should know, though.” Galo brings a hand to his jaw and cracks it, yawning wide in a stretch. Lio narrows his eyes. “Know what you sacrificed.”

Lio sits on a nearby table and spreads his legs wide. “I don’t think that’s so important.”

“You don’t want the credit?” Galo asks incredulously.

“I don’t care who gets the credit,” Lio says truthfully. “I’m just glad we’re alive, Galo.”

Galo’s eyes flick down towards Lio’s waist for a moment. “People should know what you did, Lio.”

Lio leans back a little, arching his spine and exposing his neck to the warmth of the sun through the Fire House’s window. When he opens his eyes, Galo is staring. “Well, you know.”

“I’m not everyone,” Galo starts, but Lio cuts him off.

“You’re who matters,” Lio mutters matter of factly. Immediately, Lio finds himself embarrassed at that admission. “Don’t think about that too hard.”

Galo narrows his eyes and tilts his head, like a puppy who has heard a new sound for the first time. “Okay,” he finally agrees.

* * *

Lio moves out of the fire house into a small apartment near the center of Promepolis. It’s a modern, clean place that Lio likes mostly because it has a lock on the front door. At least if Galo comes knocking, Lio will have fair warning.

Lio's first dream in his new apartment is surprisingly tame, considering the escalation of his subconscious over the past few weeks. His dream is gentle and soft, one that he is hesitant to wake from in the early morning light. He dreams of Galo’s embrace, of warm arms wrapping around him, of the Promare buzzing delightedly in the background. He dreams of warmth.

In the privacy of his own apartment, Lio puts a hand on his own cock and strokes himself awake. He’s almost there, already murmuring Galo’s name when there’s a rap on the door. Lio curses to himself and his hard-on dies quickly when his intercom shows that Meis has come to visit. 

Strange. Meis usually announces himself.

“This place is nice,” Meis says with a soft smile as he enters Lio’s apartment. “Quiet.”

Lio shrugs. “It’s always going to be quiet now.”

Meis nods. The Burnish understand what they won and lost that day. The voice of the Promare in the back of Lio’s head will never reawaken. Closing the rift between their dimensions had been the right thing to do, Lio knows this, but there are times—there are moments when Lio wishes he had the fire back.

“I’m sorry for not telling you before,” Lio admits. “About dying.”

“Almost dying,” Meis corrects. “You’re still here.”

“I’m still sorry.” Lio reaches out and squeezes Meis’s arm. “I didn’t want to worry you. You’re still recovering.”

“So are you,” Meis nods, but he allows Lio a small, forgiving smile. “I know why you did it. I just hope you know that you can trust me and Gueira. We’d follow you into oblivion.”

“I know,” Lio nods. His eyes burn only a little at the memory, and he blinks quickly to hide the sudden burst of emotion. “You did.”

* * *

While the Promare burned inside him, Lio found through trial and error that he did not have the ability to get drunk. It had something to do with his metabolism—how it burned bright and fast, too hot for the alcohol to take effect.

Now that the Promare is gone, however, things are different.

“Stupid,” Lio slurs, pointing directly at Galo’s face. He nearly falls into Galo’s lap, steadying himself against Galo’s chest. “But pretty.”

“Okay,” Gueira laughs nervously, his laughter punctuated by his own drunken hiccups. “Lio, c’mon.”

“Hold on, m’not done,” Lio insists.

“He’s fine,” Galo laughs. “It’s okay, Gueira. I’ll get him home. I know when someone needs a rescue.”

And that’s—not what Lio wants from Galo right now. He doesn’t want to be rescued. He wants to bury himself in Galo’s chest and inhale. He wants to claw his way down Galo’s back and leave marks that Galo, the shirtless asshole he is, won’t be able to cover up. He wants to choke on Galo, wants to tear up as Galo hits the back of his throat. Lio wants to tie Galo to his bed and come up for air in a week’s time.

What can Lio say? He’s not proud of his flagrant desires, but Lio supposes that when you save the world with someone, it’s a bit of a turn on.

Galo hoists Lio in a fireman’s carry over his shoulder and Lio barely fights him. “See you guys tomorrow, have a good night,” Galo tells Remi and Aina. Lio waves weakly from his perch at the group. He catches Meis’s eye as Galo exits the bar entirely. Meis is looking at Lio and Galo like Meis knows something that Lio doesn’t. It makes Lio a little nervous.

“You can put me down,” Lio tells Galo after a few blocks. “I’m walking. I can walk.”

“You can walk,” Galo nods, dropping Lio on the sidewalk. Lio stumbles immediately.

“Shut up,” Lio says, thinning his eyes at Galo. “I’m fine.”

“Have you ever been drunk before?” Galo asks.

Lio looks away. “No.”

Lio doesn’t think a lot about before he had presented as a Burnish. He can barely remember that time in his life. After all, Lio had very young at the time. Burnish sometimes don't present their powers until a few years into their generally short lives. Lio supposes it's possible that before the Promare had revealed itself, he could have gotten a little tipsy, but he was what—five or six at the time? He was just a child.

“I remember the first time I got drunk,” Galo grins. “Ignis had to drag my ass home. It was super embarrassing.” Galo’s eyes widen, and he grabs Lio by the hand. “Wait, are you embarrassed that you got drunk?”

Lio can only think about Galo’s hand on his. “I’m not embarrassed.”

“Then why are you blushing?” Galo asks, smirking like he’s nailed it.

Lio snaps his hand out of Galo’s grasp. “Don’t worry about it. We’re at my apartment.”

Galo pours Lio a glass of water once the two of them are inside. Lio doesn’t remember inviting Galo in, but somehow Galo is taking space up inside Lio’s living space like he was meant to stay there.

“Thank you,” Lio says suspiciously, taking the glass with both hands. The water is cold all the way down.

“Can I ask you something?” Galo’s question hangs in the air, heavy and heady. Lio doesn’t say no, and Galo takes that as permission. “You dreamed about me.”

“That’s not a question,” Lio diverts. Galo rolls his eyes. “So what, maybe I had a dream.”

“You dreamed about me,” Galo says, confident. He takes a step towards Lio, and the mush of Lio’s drunken brain murmurs _ yes, please _.

“I dreamed about you,” Lio admits quietly. Boldness flooding his system, Lio steps into Galo’s space. “I dreamed about us.” His lips are inches away from Galo’s chest. When Lio exhales, goosebumps appear on Galo’s skin. 

Galo’s head dips down, ever so slightly. “Do you think it’s possible that something happened when we piloted the mecha together? That some part of us brains joined forces. Some kind of mind meld.”

Lio balks, looking up at Galo with confusion in his eyes. “What are you talking about?” He takes a step back and stumbles because apparently Lio is now a lightweight. Curse hard liquor, curse it for days. Lio reaches out for Galo’s hand, and Galo looks… conflicted. Galo gives Lio’s grasp a light squeeze before letting go entirely.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Galo sighs, frustration coloring his tone. “Drink more water, Lio. It will help.”

Lio collapses on his clean sheets and tries not to focus on the fact that Galo is on the other side of his bedroom door. If he wanted to, he could walk right out and sit himself down in Galo’s lap. He could do a lot of things, his drunk brain tells him. Things that would make them both gasp.

* * *

Galo is still asleep on the couch when Lio wakes up the next morning. Lio takes his time in the shower, brushing his teeth, and making himself less of a mess. It’s not often he’s let himself lose control like that.

Lio slots a bagel into his toaster and pulls the handle down. The innards of the machine begin to glow burnt orange. He doesn’t even notice that Galo is awake until Galo clears his throat from behind Lio. “You’re alive?”

Lio jumps. He hadn’t realized how nervous he was. Lio turns on the spot to see Galo putting up his hands like he’s trying to reassure a frightened horse.

“It’s a miracle,” Lio says a little awkwardly. “I’m sorry about yesterday. It’s—it’s been a long time since I could even get tipsy. With the Promare, it wasn’t… possible.” Galo has a heartbreaking expression on his face, and Lio tries to ignore it. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I wasn’t—I wasn’t thinking.”

“Do you remember last night?” Galo asks gently.

“I do,” Lio says honestly. He remembers the feel of Galo as he carried Lio home, the smooth stretch of his back muscles beneath his fingertips. He remembers calling Galo pretty, remembers wanting Galo in his bed. He even remembers Galo’s absurd telepathic claim. “You were saying we had some kind of mind meld?” Lio makes a sound that he hopes doesn’t come off as tremendously impatient. “What, _ possibly_, makes you say that?”

“Because I’ve been having… dreams, too.” 

It’s not what Lio expects him to say. He expected Galo to say something about how his burning fireman’s passion has gotten _ extra heightened _ or something since they piloted the Lio De Galon together. Lio doesn’t expect Galo to tell him he’s been having dreams.

Lio’s eyes widen and he takes a step towards Galo. “People have dreams, Galo.”

“They’re dreams about you and me,” Galo continues. His cheeks are red and flushed. “Doing stuff together. And every time I have those dreams, it’s like you’re _ there _.”

“That doesn’t mean—it doesn’t mean we’re _ sharing dreams— _” Lio stutters. Somehow, inexplicably, he takes another step closer to Galo, so that if he wanted to, Lio could reach out and touch. “And trust me, you have no idea what kind of dreams I’ve been having.” Lio’s voice is now barely above a whisper.

Galo looks at Lio once, sharply, before dropping to his knees. Lio almost pinches himself to make sure he’s not still sleeping. “Have you ever had a dream like this?” Galo asks plainly. “One where you made me prove myself.” Even on his knees, Galo’s face is at a perfect height to suck dick. This is a thought that Lio suppresses.

“It’s not possible,” Lio says with a start.

“You punished me when I fucked up,” Galo notes, looking up at Lio with wide eyes. “And I learned.”

“If we’re really sharing dreams, Galo,” Lio says tightly, “you have to know that I would never do that to you. I’d never do any of the things we did together.” His voice sticks in the back of his throat as he adds: “Not unless you wanted it.”

Lio drops to his knees as well and takes Galo’s shoulders in both his hands. They are broad and firm beneath his grip. “I don’t know if it’s the Promare that connected us or something else entirely, but you have a choice, Galo. You don’t—” Lio pauses before making the leap, “you don’t need to be with me.”

Galo’s eyes widen at the truth in Lio’s voice. “I don’t have much of a choice,” he tells Lio quietly.

Lio’s eyes burn. No one should be forced to do what they don’t want to do. “But you _ should _ have a choice, Galo,” Lio says, his voice cracking. “And if I have any say in it, you _ do _ have a choice.”

The last thing Lio wants to do is trap Galo in some kind of Promare-induced relationship. They just saved the world together. It doesn’t mean they need to spend the rest of their lives together.

Galo looks frustrated with the conversation, like Lio is missing something rather obvious. “Can I talk now?” he asks. Lio nods, and Galo smiles at him weakly. "What I meant was I don’t have much of a choice when I feel like this.”

“Like what?” Lio asks blankly. 

“Like I need to be around you all the time. Like when I see you, things make sense. Like I never want to see you cry again,” Galo finishes, eyes crinkling at the edges. “And these feelings started before we manned the mecha together. Before the dreams we shared.”

“Galo,” Lio says quietly. “What are you saying?”

Is he saying that he wants Lio? That Lio’s feelings are reciprocated? That even if Lio’s sex dreams about Galo _ had _ been shared, perhaps Galo _ wanted _ to dream about Lio coming apart in his arms, perhaps—

“I think you should stand up and pull down your pants,” Galo tells him plainly. “But I’m open to suggestions.”

Lio’s eyes widen. It’s one thing to punish Galo in his dream, it’s wholly another thing to have Galo on his knees for him in real life. Lio gets up on shaky legs. He tugs down the soft sweatpants Aina had gotten for him just far enough so that Galo has proper access to his dick.

Galo’s eyes widen at the sight.

“You’re hard,” Galo tells Lio. “That’s because of me.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Lio grits out. Galo huffs out a pleased but smug sound, one that Lio wants to silence. “You should stop talking, now.”

“Make me,” Galo grins up at him, mouth opening slightly.

Lio threads his hand into Galo’s hair and guides his mouth towards Lio’s dick. “So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” Lio asks quietly. Lio hisses as Galo takes his first taste, one long lick along the underside of his dick. Something in Lio’s head shifts with Galo in the palm of his hand. The power is intoxicating, and Lio makes a low noise in the back of his throat as he watches a line of spit trail from the tip of his dick to Galo’s tongue. “Enough playtime. Open.”

Hearing Galo whine in need as he lets his mouth open wide is far different in real life than in Lio’s dreams. A lightning strike of arousal courses down Lio’s spine as he hits the back of Galo’s throat in a dangerous thrust. Galo coughs hard but doesn't relent, gripping at Lio’s hips and bringing him in closer. When he looks up at Lio, there are tears at the corners of Galo’s eyes. Lio reaches down with a surprisingly gentle hand and wipes the wetness away.

“That’s it,” Lio tells him in a stuttering gasp as he fucks into Galo’s mouth. “Just like that. Good boy.”

Lio grips Galo by the hair and guides him, scratching at his scalp in small, gentle strokes. Galo hums in pleasure. It’s surreal—dreaming about sex with Galo and then actually fulfilling those dreams in reality. It’s enough to make Lio question if this is actually some kind of vivid delusion. Then Galo swallows him down to the hilt once more and Lio can think of nothing else besides the heat of Galo’s mouth and the rhythmic thrusting of his own hips.

“Please,” Lio mutters under his breath. “I’m close.” Galo looks up at Lio with a look of defiance in his eyes. He does not pull off of Lio, and Lio almost collapses under Galo’s intensity. Galo grabs Lio by the ass, bringing him in even close and Lio is in pieces immediately. He comes hard, hips erratic and uncoordinated. Galo swallows as best he can, but his mouth is a mess as Lio pulls away at long last.

“Galo,” Lio says softly, resting his hand on Galo’s shoulder. “I’m gonna sit down, I think.”

Lio collapses in Galo’s lap and Galo just gathers him in his broad arms. “Better than your dream?” Galo asks with a smirk.

“Shut up,” Lio says quietly, feeling his face get hot under Galo’s stare. “Yes.” Lio wipes at Galo’s mouth ineffectively with his sleeve. “Sorry about the mess.”

“You want to keep going?” Galo asks, running a single finger up and down a small portion of Lio’s spine. It feels good, calming—and Lio finds himself nodding.

“After the Great World Blaze, the Promare became a constant static in the back of every Burnish,” Lio says. “Sometimes it would tell me to do things: burn, destroy, create. But it was always there, even when it was quiet. Always lingering.”

Galo is holding Lio’s hand now: his grip is tight and reassuring.

“And now that the Promare is gone?” Galo asks.

“It’s stupid,” Lio says, looking away. Galo frowns and Lio takes in a deep breath. “Well, it’s lonely.” Lio leans into Galo’s chest, letting his lips brush across Galo’s collarbone. Galo’s breath hitches at the tender touch. “And cold.”

Galo hugs Lio tight, and Lio wraps himself around Galo’s waist, burying his face in Galo’s neck. “I’m happy the flames are gone, but they had been with me for so _ long _, Galo. They made me powerful. They helped me.” Lio’s vision blurs at the loss. “I miss them. And I hate being lonely.”

“I have some solutions for you,” Galo says after a long minute of silent embrace. Galo stands up like Lio weighs nothing and starts walking them towards Lio’s bedroom. “I could keep you company.” Galo leans in and kisses Lio’s cheek. “And I could keep you warm.”

Lio leans back and looks Galo in the eyes. “You could just keep me, I think.”

Galo smiles. “Yeah?”

Lio has to kiss him. Galo’s kiss is enthusiastic and sloppy, raucous and fun. Lio kisses Galo and begins to feel a slow burn in the pit of his stomach. It’s not like the Promare used to burn within him, but instead a slow, easy heat that warms Lio from the inside.

Galo rips Lio’s room apart for lube while Lio watches Galo from his own bed with an amused expression on his face. “Top drawer. Other drawer. Nope, you missed it again.” Lio is laughing as Galo finally finds the tiny bottle and holds it up like some kind of trophy.

“Lube rescue!” Galo grins broadly.

“You are so, and I say this affectionately, fucking weird,” Lio sighs as Galo knees himself onto the bed. Galo tugs off Lio’s sweatpants and underwear while making a turn over motion with his hand.

“Oh?” Lio asks, rolling over like a languorous cat. He arches his back before leaning his ass back into Galo’s hands.

“I had this idea,” Galo says, and Lio can hear the grin in his voice even though Galo has situated himself behind Lio at this point. Lio feels the cold lube on Galo’s fingertip as he presses gently inside Lio’s ass. Galo is surprisingly gentle with his ministrations, but his hands are broad and even one thumb is large enough to stretch Lio wider than he expected—and the subsequent sound Lio makes, low and feral in the back of his throat, is enough to give Galo pause.

“Not good?” Galo asks, pulling back.

“Keep going,” Lio grits out, rocking himself backwards onto Galo’s finger down past what feels like his knuckle. “And bend your fingers down.”

Galo starts laughing behind Lio before adding another finger. The burn is almost too much, and then Galo is pawing at Lio from the inside and Lio clenches because he’s inadvertently hit a white hot bundle of nerves. 

“Fuck,” Lio hisses, clutching at the sheets of his bed and buring his face in the blankets.

“You know, I could fill you with my burning soul,” Galo says thoughtfully.

“I hope you realize how stupid that sounds,” Lio whines, Galo pumping his fingers in and out more quickly now. 

Galo laughs and asks, “Do you want me to stop?” His fingers pause and Lio moans out in dismay.

“Shut up,” Lio hisses.

“I could stop,” Galo says innocently, moving three fingers inside Lio now. Lio cries out, pressing himself backward onto Galo’s hand. “We could stop right here. If you’re so uninterested in my burning soul.”

“I want—I want to be full of fire again,” Lio finally relents, nodding over his shoulder at Galo. “I want to reignite.”

Galo leans forward and kisses the skin of Lio’s shoulder blade. Wherever he touches Lio, it burns so sweetly. Everything burns. “Alright. Alright.”

“Strike the match, Galo,” Lio begs. “I want—I want to feel you—”

Galo takes his fingers out quickly and Lio is empty and yearning for that fullness from before, but he wants more—

“I can do that,” Galo says confidently, and now Lio can feel Galo’s dick at his entrance. “Let me.”

Lio relaxes as Galo pushes in, and the world is ablaze.

While Galo’s fingers had been broad, there’s no comparison between fingers and the monstrosity Galo hides away in his sweatpants. There’s no fire, but Lio feels hot—too hot—as Galo snaps his hips and fucks into Lio. Lio cries out, but there’s no pain from this new fire: only ecstasy and the closeness of Galo’s skin. Galo is so deep that Lio feels as Galo’s thighs slam against him.

“You’re so tight,” Galo grunts out. “So warm. Fuck, Lio—I know the Promare left, but I don’t think you’ll ever stop burning.”

“What?” Lio huffs out. Galo responds by kissing Lio’s neck gently.

“It’s just not in you,” he tells Lio sweetly. “Now I think you should hold on.”

Lio cries out as Galo’s hips start thrusting hard and fast, his hands holding Lio’s ass like the only anchor Lio has to this world. Galo’s dick is more than just large, it has _ girth_—it stretches Lio wide as Galo’s rhythm gets faster and faster. “Mo-re, p-please, it fe-els so-o good—” Lio huffs with every snap of Galo’s hips. He’s not sure if Galo can decipher his fractured words, but Galo seems to understand well enough. Galo reaches around Lio’s waist and smears some extra lube on his half-hard dick. Lio isn’t sure he can come again so soon after Galo’s blowjob, but if anything is going to get him there—this is it.

“You can do it,” Galo tells him, his words now rough and low. “Come on, Lio. Come on.” Galo starts jerking Lio off in a rapid motion that drives Lio up the wall.

“I’m trying,” Lio whimpers.

“You’re gonna get there,” Galo vows. “We’re gonna get there together.”

“Yeah?” Lio gasps weakly. He’s fully hard now in Galo’s hand.

“We saved the world, didn’t we?” Galo says reasonably, a mild strain in his voice as he clearly approaches his own climax. “We can do this.”

Lio nods, and Galo just—_goes_.

As Galo gets close to coming himself, he reaches forward and pulls at Lio’s bright mane of hair. Lio finds himself getting eased back further onto Galo’s dick in an instant and then he’s gone again, a white hot spray of his own come spurting over his stomach and bedding. Lio doesn’t remember shouting, but he can feel Galo’s hand—which has made its way around Lio’s throat—vibrating against his vocal cords. _ I’m causing that _, Lio thinks quietly.

Galo comes with a shout of his own and a sequence of hard thrusts inside Lio, and with that Lio senses a bright heat that warms him from the inside out. When Galo pulls away and looks down at him with awe in his expression, Lio knows that they’ve both made a beautiful mess of things.

Lio collapses on the bed while Galo just kind of huffs on all fours for a long moment before running off to grab a washcloth. “You didn’t need to do that,” Lio says weakly as Galo cleans them both up.

Galo shrugs. “Just didn’t seem right leaving you like that.”

Eventually, Galo joins him in bed again and the two of them quiet wrap themselves in each other—limbs over limbs, chest against chest. Lio snuggles in tight as Galo wraps a few blankets around them.

“What am I without the Promare?” Lio whispers as easy quiet settles around them. It’s a fear he’s kept quiet since the flame powers left him, but it’s a question that haunts him all the same: is he even any use now?

“You’re Lio Fotia,” Galo says incredulously. “You’re part of the Burning Rescue! You’re a hero, too. You saved the world.”

Lio looks up at Galo. “_ We _ saved the world.” At that, Galo smiles.

“You’re a leader,” Galo continues to list. “You’re smart. And stubborn, like me.” Galo is quiet. “You’re beautiful, you know.”

Lio cups Galo’s cheek.

“You’re a good person,” Galo tells him.

“Don’t be stupid,” Lio chastises weakly.

“I’ll say it until you believe it,” Galo tells him simply.

“Come on. You’ll get tired of it,” Lio says with a grin, but that grin fades as his fear grows. “You’ll get tired of me.”

“Nah,” Galo hums.

Lio quirks his head. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t think so,” Galo shrugs. “And I know myself pretty well.”

“That’s it?” Lio asks, a little incredulous at Galo’s point blank statement.

“That’s it,” Galo grins down at him. “Now, it’s nap time.”

“It’s _ noon_.”

“Perfect! Then it’s afternoon nap time.”

Galo’s confidence is simple but comforting, Lio has to admit. From anyone else, it would be a line—but from Galo, it’s just the truth.

After Lio closes his eyes against Galo’s chest, he listens to the quiet thump of his heart beneath his ear. It’s peaceful to rest there in the silence. Galo’s presence is a quiet hum in the back of Lio’s head—a new constant to replace the old buzz of the Promare.

“I choose you, okay?” Lio sighs. He thinks he understands Galo’s words now: _ I guess I have no choice_. Between the rest of the world and this, Lio would choose this over and over again.

“Okay,” Galo murmurs, squeezing Lio tight. “Sounds good.”

That night, Lio doesn’t dream at all.


End file.
